The wind howled as dark clouds loomed overhead. Flames crackled somewhere behind them, and the broken bodies of the fallen pirates littered the deck. Rikuya's shoulders rose and fell with slow, seething breaths. Tsuki sat on a railing nearby, still as a statue, eyes locked on the storm about to break loose.
Seline stood ten paces away. Her long coat billowed like wings behind her, twin pistols gleaming in her hands. Her crimson hair framed a face too calm, too poised for what was coming.
She smirked.
"You're fast, pretty boy. But are you faster than a bullet?"
Her finger moved.
Bang.
But Rikuya was already gone.
A blur.
The bullet kissed the air where his head had been a heartbeat ago. His body moved with inhuman precision, weaving left, sliding under a crate, and springing upward with the coiled power of a beast unshackled.
Another shot cracked—Bang!—but he twisted mid-air, the bullet grazing the sleeve of his shirt as he came down on her like a meteor.
Boom!
His punch missed her by inches, but the force of it shattered the ship's wooden planks beneath her boots, sending splinters flying. Seline rolled backward, flipping once in the air, and landed smoothly, already firing again.
Rikuya ducked low. The bullet streaked past, embedding into a mast behind him. He launched forward like lightning—one leg slamming down in a sweeping kick.
Crack!
The ship's railing snapped as Seline flipped over it to avoid the strike. She landed, bent low, coat flaring, hair wild.
Rikuya didn't let up.
A brutal roundhouse kick followed—a blur of muscle and fury that tore through a stack of barrels, exploding them like dry twigs. She ducked and fired again at point blank.
Rikuya caught the pistol's barrel.
The heat sizzled against his skin.
She gasped as he twisted it away with one hand and drove his knee upward.
Thoom!
The impact struck her ribs with such force, the hull behind her cracked. She wheezed, rolling away, coughing blood—but she was still smiling.
"You hit hard. I like that," she breathed, wiping her lip. "But I don't break easy."
Rikuya's glare burned hotter than fire.
"You will."
He came again. Blows rained down like thunder—each one echoing with the weight of vengeance. A punch struck the mast, splintering it in half. A kick sent a cannon flying off its base. The ship groaned under the chaos.
Seline dodged, flipped, deflected—but Rikuya was relentless. His fury didn't just fuel him—it evolved him.
She fired her last bullet—it scraped across his shoulder but didn't slow him. Not for a second.
Then came the finishing move.
Rikuya vanished—a blink—and appeared behind her.
Crack!
His arm hooked around her neck. She gasped—her back arching as he lifted her clear off the ground.
But instead of snapping her neck—he stopped.
His voice was low, gravel edged in bloodlust.
"I don't kill until I've got my answer."
He dropped her to the deck.
She choked, gasping. For the first time—Seline's smirk was gone.
Tsuki growled softly from his perch. The storm over Ardenwave had found its eye—in him.
Seline coughed, leaning against the shattered mast. Her crimson coat was torn, one arm hanging limp from a dislocated shoulder. Blood dripped from the corner of her mouth—but her gaze, though shaken, met Rikuya's with raw defiance.
"You win," she whispered hoarsely, then added, "For now."
Rikuya didn't move. His body was still humming with violence, fists clenched, ready to finish it—but something in her voice made him pause.
She glanced toward Tsuki, then back at him. "You want to know why I fight for him?" Her eyes narrowed. "Why I stayed?"
Rikuya's silence was answer enough.
Seline exhaled. "I was supposed to die. Executed by the Empire when I was fifteen. My father… he led a failed uprising. They made me watch them burn him alive, then dragged me to the gallows."
She looked away, past the ruined ship and out to the sea.
"The noose was around my neck when Raze appeared. A ghost. A storm. He killed twelve guards before I could even blink. Cut me down, carried me out. I didn't even know his name."
Her voice wavered.
"He gave me a blade. Said if I wanted revenge, I'd have to earn it. And I did. I made them bleed. I made every one of them remember her name—Seline. The Crimson Gale."
She looked back at Rikuya. "He didn't just save me. He gave me purpose."
There was a beat of silence. Wind stirred the ashes around them.
"I don't expect you to understand. But I owe him everything."
Rikuya's eyes were steel. Cold. But not without depth.
"I understand loyalty," he said, voice like a blade. "But that doesn't excuse monsters."
He stepped closer.
"And I don't care who saved you—if your captain laid a finger on those girls… he dies."
Seline's expression faltered. Her eyes flicked toward the inn's direction—then away.
Guilt.
It was there. Just for a flash.
And Rikuya saw it.
"Where is he?" he asked, calm and deadly.
Seline hesitated. Then whispered, "He's waiting for you. At the shipyard on the cliffs."
Rikuya turned without another word.
Tsuki leapt from the railing onto his shoulder.
Stormlight caught in his eyes.
The wind howled across the cliffside, kicking up dust and salt from the crashing waves below. Seline lay on the broken deck behind him, breathing hard, unable to rise. Rikuya's eyes never left the silhouette ahead—the shipyard.
He released his grip, letting her fall gently. Then he walked.
Each step echoed like thunder on the old boards. Tsuki watched from the shadows, eyes sharp, tail stiff with tension.
The shipyard creaked with activity no longer. It was silent now.
Then—footsteps.
Heavy, deliberate, confident.
From the docked galleon came a towering figure draped in black and red leathers, silver chains clinking on his coat. His beard was short, his hair wild. A long saber hung lazily at his side, though he didn't reach for it.
Captain Raze stood at the edge of the platform, watching Rikuya approach.
"So… you're the one who made my port howl."
Rikuya stopped, feet planted in splinters and ash. The fury still lingered in his veins, the blood still hot in his temples.
"You kidnapped an old man and two girls just to bait me."
Raze tilted his head. "And it worked."
"You know," Rikuya said, rolling his shoulders, "I thought pirates fought for gold. Not scraps of cruelty."
"Cruelty," Raze smirked. "Is the truest coin in a rotting world."
Rikuya stepped closer, the firelight catching his face—jaw tight, veins taut, eyes sharp enough to kill without a blade.
"I don't care about your empire, your code, or your crew."
He raised his hand, flexing his fingers as if already feeling Raze's throat in his grip.
"You crossed a line when you touched what was mine."
Raze's smirk faded. Just a little.
Rikuya's voice dropped—low, vicious.
"I'm not here to fight a pirate. I'm here to bury a mistake."
Raze didn't flinch. Instead, he tilted his head slightly—to the right.
Rikuya's eyes followed.
And then… he saw her.
Hanging from the ship's mast, arms bound above her, barely covered in a tattered cloth—Mara.
The old woman who fed him, gave him shelter, laughed with him by the fire.
Her body was bruised, battered… humiliated.
She turned her face weakly toward him, and though her lips trembled, she smiled. "Rikuya…"
Something broke.
Not in the world—but in him.
His breath stopped.
Veins throbbed like steel wires down his neck.
His jaw clenched so hard blood trickled from his gums. His pupils widened into black voids as every part of him screamed—silent, deadly.
Then—he moved.
Before Raze could finish turning his smug head back—
CRACK.
Rikuya's knee drove into his face with monstrous force. Bone exploded. A spray of blood and shattered teeth burst from Raze's mouth as his head snapped backward, body lifted from the deck by the sheer violence of it.
The air shook.
Wood splintered.
Time seemed to freeze.
Rikuya landed, fists clenched so hard his forearms trembled. He stared down at the captain's collapsing figure with a look that could erase men from memory.
"You thought breaking her would break me," he growled, voice deep, shaking with rage. "You just gave me a reason to erase your entire legacy."
Raze's eyes burned with rage. He roared, swinging his sword down with brutal force, aiming to cleave Rikuya in two. The blade flashed like lightning.
But Rikuya's reflexes were already a step ahead.
He backstepped, the edge of Raze's sword narrowly grazing the air where he stood moments before. Instantly, Rikuya's fists flew—one, two, three, four—a rapid barrage of jabs, each hit connecting with Raze's chest and face, forcing the pirate captain to stagger back, stunned by the speed and precision.
Raze snarled, trying to recover, but before he could regain his footing, Rikuya's leg shot out in a powerful hook kick, landing square on Raze's jaw. His head whipped to the side, his body swaying.
For a moment, Raze thought he could catch his breath—he thought he could recover from the blow.
But no.
Rikuya's eyes locked on him, cold as steel.
With a grim smile, Raze swung his sword again, this time aiming for Rikuya's midsection. His attack was swift, the blade cutting through the air with deadly intent.
Rikuya's body moved as though guided by pure instinct.
In a fluid motion, he backflipped—his body spinning effortlessly in midair, dodging the blade by mere inches. He landed softly on the ground, knees slightly bent, but his gaze never left Raze.
His smile twisted into something more dangerous. More lethal.
"You really think you're worthy of even breathing the same air as me?" Rikuya's voice was icy, dripping with disdain. "Your fate was sealed the moment you laid your hands on someone innocent."
Rikuya dashed forward like a storm, his speed nearly impossible to track. Raze swung his sword with deadly intent, but Rikuya was already on him.
With a single, crushing punch, Rikuya's fist connected with Raze's forearm, the force so immense that the sword flew from Raze's grip and clattered to the ground. Before Raze could react, Rikuya's fist landed against his ribs, and the force echoed through the air as Raze staggered back. Without hesitation, Rikuya followed up with a swift kick to Raze's leg, causing the pirate captain to drop to one knee.
Then, a fast jab hit Raze square in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. The pirate captain gasped for air, just as Rikuya's powerful uppercut sent him reeling backwards, barely able to keep his footing.
Raze, his face twisted in fury, roared in retaliation, his fist crashing toward Rikuya's face with murderous intent.
But Rikuya didn't flinch.
The punch landed. Rikuya's head jerked slightly from the impact—but it was nothing. He didn't budge an inch.
Raze, enraged, swung again with all his might, determined to break Rikuya's resolve. His fist crashed into Rikuya's own as Rikuya braced for the blow, his knuckles tightening in preparation.
The force of their punches collided, and the shockwave from the impact sent a tremor through the shipyard. Raze's body was launched backward, his knees buckling as he crashed to the ground, barely able to stay on his feet.
Rikuya stood tall, unfazed, eyes burning with cold fury. His breath was steady, but the rage in his chest grew with every heartbeat. "You're just another fool," he spat, his voice low and dangerous. "And I don't show mercy to fools."
The fight reached a fever pitch as the Captain staggered, barely able to catch his breath. He swung his arms again, but Rikuya, driven by sheer anger and precision, ducked under the strike with fluid ease. His body moved like lightning, faster than most could react.
Rikuya closed the distance in a heartbeat, his hands a blur as he began his vicious combo. His first move was a series of brutal, fast jabs, each one crashing into Raze's body, shaking him. The force was enough to push Raze back, and Rikuya didn't give him a moment to breathe.
With the Captain off-balance, Rikuya's right hook slammed into the side of Raze's head, knocking him further off his feet. The blow landed with bone-crushing force, sending Raze stumbling back. But before Raze could recover, Rikuya was already in his face again, moving with the precision of a fighter who had honed every muscle for moments like these.
He clinched Raze's neck in a tight Muay Thai hold, trapping him completely. In an instant, Rikuya drove his knee into the Captain's chest, the impact jarring the air out of his lungs. Two more knee strikes followed, each one brutal, striking with a sickening thud that echoed through the shipyard. Then, with a twist of his hips, Rikuya drove a final knee into Raze's solar plexus, making the Captain choke and gasp for air.
The fight wasn't over.
Rikuya transitioned seamlessly into the grappling phase. With Raze barely able to keep his bearings, Rikuya grabbed Raze's arm, wrenching it behind his back with inhuman force. Raze's face twisted in agony as Rikuya applied the pressure, dislocating his shoulder with a sickening pop. The Captain's body went limp, but Rikuya wasn't done yet.
In one fluid motion, Rikuya slammed Raze into the ground, the violent takedown shaking the earth beneath them. Raze's skull met the hard floor with a thundering crash that reverberated in Rikuya's chest. His body flopped loosely, but Rikuya wasn't finished.
Rikuya stood over him, watching as Raze struggled to move, eyes glazed with pain. The final blow came swiftly, Rikuya's hand snaking to Raze's head, grabbing it with unyielding strength. He tightened his grip, twisting it just enough to make the Captain's body go still.
Rikuya's voice was a cold whisper as he spoke to the defeated pirate, "This is where you die, Captain."
With a brutal snap, Rikuya ended the fight. The Captain was finished, crushed beneath the weight of Rikuya's fury and skill.
---
The combo flowed with precision, each move designed to break, incapacitate, and then finish. The speed, power, and sheer brutality were undeniable. Every part of Rikuya's attack was flawless, each one executed with brutal efficiency. Raze, once a powerful pirate captain, now lay in a pool of his own blood, completely destroyed.
---
As Rikuya stood over the broken body of Captain Raze, his fist clenched, ready to deliver another blow, two figures appeared at his side. The two girls, their faces full of concern, rushed forward and hugged him from either side, their arms wrapping around him, stopping his wrathful hand midair.
"Rikuya... please," one of the girls pleaded, her voice shaky. "He's already gone..."
The second girl nodded, eyes wide with fear for him. "You've done enough."
Rikuya's rage boiled, but something in their voices, something deep within him, made him freeze. He wanted to let it out, to break Raze's body into even smaller pieces, but he couldn't bring himself to strike again.
And then, Tsuki appeared, jumping down from the ship's deck, his eyes wide with alertness. The little creature had worked fast, finding the old man and the old woman, who had finally emerged from hiding. The old man gave a sharp, knowing glance as he walked forward, his steps deliberate as he approached Rikuya.
He placed a firm, weathered hand on Rikuya's shoulder, his voice steady but heavy with wisdom.
"A man consumed by anger is like a storm," he said, his eyes reflecting the depths of a life well-lived. "It tears through everything, leaves destruction in its wake… but when it passes, all that's left is a barren wasteland. Find peace, boy. Or you may never find your way back."
Rikuya stood in silence, the weight of the old man's words sinking deep into his chest. The tension in his body slowly began to ease, his fist unclenching, the fire inside him flickering as he took a breath.
The two girls tightened their grip on him, and for a moment, everything was still. He wasn't sure whether it was the old man's wisdom or the bond with the people around him, but the storm inside him had begun to calm.